Okay, I know stencils can sound hokey. But in moderation and good taste, stencils can look phenomenal. I have put together a collection of excellent uses for the stencil.

Okay, so how can we learn from these successful applications of stenciling?

• those that have the ENTIRE surface covered in stencil chose a low-contrast color combination. Choose two colors that are close to each other in the color family, to keep it from being overwhelming. If you want blue – chose a blue and a lighter shade of that blue.
• Those that had smaller applications of the stencil treatment could afford to use brighter colors. A neutral background (black, tan, white) looks great with small areas of reds, blues and brighter colors.
• Smaller doses keep the area looking special. Stenciling a dresser makes that piece unique and gives it personality. Then using the same stencil on the wall makes it kitschy and less effective.

I found a great website that has beautiful stencils that I would like to try out for myself. Stencil Gallery has everything from floral to lettering. Look at their impressive Photo Gallery.

How can this apply to your home? Do you have a stencil success story?